Vegetarian Enchiladas

Sometimes I have a clear cut idea of exactly what I am going to do when I attempt a new recipe… Other times, I just have a general concept, and I just go with the flow as I’m cooking. This recipe was a result of one of those times!

I had decided that I wanted to make “some sort of vegetarian Mexican dish” and I knew I wanted to use black beans and some cottage cheese that I had on hand. I also had some whole wheat tortillas, so I figured I’d use those, as well. My first instinct was to make a Mexican lasagna, so I set out making a sauce. As I was making the sauce, it occurred to me that I could turn the lasagna idea into enchiladas. I took the idea and ran with it, and I was pretty pleased with the results!

As often happens with enchiladas, it can be difficult to separate out each rolled tortilla from the casserole after it’s baked, so I decided to cut mine in squares instead. Topped with a dollop of sour cream, a piece of this vegetarian enchilada casserole makes a perfect meatless main dish, if you ask me!

Vegetarian Enchiladas

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (just eyeball it)

4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups stock (beef or chicken would work, but for a truly vegetarian dish, you will need to use vegetable stock)

15 ounce can of petite diced tomatoes, drained

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon ancho chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

16 ounce container of lowfat cottage cheese (1%)

15 ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained

Handful of cilantro leaves, roughly chopped (about 3-4 tablespoons)

8 whole wheat tortillas

4 ounces colby jack cheese

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Sour cream, optional

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray, and set aside.

To make the sauce, heat the olive oil and garlic in a small sauce pan over medium heat, until the garlic is fragrant and golden. Whisk the flour into the olive oil, and cook for a few minutes until the mixture turns golden. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat so that the sauce can simmer. Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, and cumin. Season to taste with salt. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the filling, combine the cottage cheese, black beans, and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the enchiladas, spread about one cup of the sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Then, for each enchilada, spread 1/8 of the filling in the center of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla around the filling, and place in the baking dish. Top the 8 rolled enchiladas with the remaining sauce, and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes, until the dish is bubbly and the cheese is golden. Let rest for 15 – 20 minutes prior to serving. Serve with sour cream and additional cilantro, if desired.

I love free flow cooking….and sometimes, I wish I didn’t have to take photos….to blog, cause I want to enjoy the beauty and simplicity of creating as you go along (and not worrying about how long it takes the chips to crisp) :-). They look lovely!

I love the cottage cheese idea! Actually this whole thing is well executed and looks delicious! I’m like you, sometimes I go into the kitchen not knowing what I’m going to come out with, makes life more exciting that way.

Mary – I meant to say olive oil, not butter. One of my other enchilada recipes uses butter as the fat in the sauce, so it was simply a mistake on my part. Thanks for catching it… I have fixed the post!

Hi Jen,
We’re launching a new recipe edition on our website, and would love to feature this recipe. I’ve sent you an email about this, but haven’t heard back yet, so if you could email me at your convenience, that would be great!

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